1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and stem cells. More particularly, it concerns reprogramming of somatic cells, especially transformed B cells.
2. Description of Related Art
Induced pluripotent stem cells, commonly abbreviated as iPS cells or iPSCs, are a type of pluripotent stem cell artificially derived from a non-pluripotent cell, typically an adult somatic cell. Induced pluripotent stem cells are believed to be identical to natural pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem (ES) cells in many respects, for example in terms of the expression of certain stem cell genes and proteins, chromatin methylation patterns, doubling time, embryoid body formation, teratoma formation, viable chimera formation, and potency and differentiability, but the full extent of their relation to natural pluripotent stem cells is still being assessed.
In humans, iPS cells are commonly generated from dermal fibroblasts. However, the requirement for skin biopsies and the need to expand fibroblast cells for several passages in vitro make it a cumbersome source for generating patient-specific stem cells. Moreover, previous methods for reprogramming of human somatic cells are inconvenient because they need to obtain somatic cells directly from a human subject, or maintain the cells in a labor-intensive cell culture system. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods to induce pluripotent stem cells from alternative sources which are simple, convenient, and easily accessible.